CN113263844A

CN113263844A - Transport device and recording device

Info

Publication number: CN113263844A
Application number: CN202110116640.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 麻本克哉
Original assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Current assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Priority date: 2020-01-29
Filing date: 2021-01-28
Publication date: 2021-08-17
Also published as: JP2021115817A; JP7359004B2; US20210229469A1; US11358400B2

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying device capable of improving the adhesion of a medium to a conveying belt and a recording device capable of improving the image quality by improving the adhesion of the medium. A conveying device (1) is provided with: a conveyor belt (22) that has a support surface (22a) that supports the medium (M) while adhering the medium (M), and that conveys the adhered medium (M); a heating unit (50) that heats the conveyor belt (22) before the medium (M) is supported by the support surface (22 a); a pressing part (60) which is arranged on the downstream side of the heating unit (50) in the moving direction of the conveyor belt (22) and presses the medium (M) onto the supporting surface (22 a); a temperature detection unit (65) that detects the temperature of at least a part of the support surface (22a) from the heating unit (50) to the pressing unit (60) in the moving direction; and a control unit (90) that controls the heating unit (50) on the basis of the detection result of the temperature detection unit (60).

Description

Transport device and recording device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a conveying device and a recording device.

Background

A recording apparatus that forms an image or the like by discharging droplets of ink or the like onto a medium conveyed by a conveyor belt has been known (for example, patent document 1). Patent document 1 discloses a multifunction digital printer (recording apparatus) including: a transfer belt (conveyor belt) having adhesiveness; a belt heating unit (heating means) that heats the transfer belt before the printing material (medium) is pasted; and a roller (pressing part) for pressing the printing material to be in close contact with the transfer belt. Further, there is also disclosed a method of heating the transfer belt by the belt heating member in advance, thereby facilitating the contact between the printing material and the transfer belt when the printing material is pressed by the roller.

The adhesion of the medium to the transport belt is important for suppressing the floating and shifting of the medium with respect to the transport belt and improving the image quality. The adhesiveness of the medium to the transport belt depends on the temperature of the transport belt in the pressing section. In patent document 1, since the temperature of the conveyor belt in the pressing portion is not considered, there is a possibility that the adhesion of the medium to the conveyor belt becomes unstable.

Patent document 1: japanese Kokai publication No. 2007-504970

Disclosure of Invention

The conveying device is provided with: a conveyor belt that has a support surface for supporting a medium by bonding the medium and that conveys the bonded medium; a heating unit that heats the conveyor belt before the medium is supported by the support surface; a pressing portion that is provided on a downstream side of the heating unit in a moving direction of the conveyor belt and presses the medium onto the supporting surface; a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of at least a part of the support surface from the heating unit to the pressing unit in the moving direction; and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

The recording device includes: a conveyor belt that has a support surface for supporting a medium by bonding the medium and that conveys the bonded medium; a recording unit that performs recording on the medium being conveyed; a heating unit that heats the conveyor belt before the medium is supported by the support surface; a pressing portion that is provided on a downstream side of the heating unit in a moving direction of the conveyor belt and presses the medium onto the supporting surface; a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of at least a part of the support surface from the heating unit to the pressing unit in the moving direction; and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion a of the conveyor belt moving in the conveying path.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion B of the conveyor belt moving in the conveyance preparation path.

Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the printing apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a heating unit.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a change in temperature of the conveyor belt when heating is performed by a conventional heating means.

Detailed Description

1. Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The schematic configurations of the transport apparatus 1 and the printing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described.

The printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is an example of a recording apparatus. The printing apparatus 100 is an ink jet printer that performs printing (printing) of a pattern or the like by discharging ink onto a medium M such as a cloth.

In the following drawings, each member is illustrated in a size that is distinguishable from the actual size so that the dimensions of each member are different from those of the actual size. For convenience of explanation, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are illustrated as three axes orthogonal to each other. The direction parallel to the X axis is referred to as "X direction", the direction parallel to the Y axis is referred to as "Y direction", and the direction parallel to the Z axis is referred to as "Z direction". The tip side of the arrow indicating each direction is "+ side", and the base side is "— side". The X direction corresponds to a width direction of the medium M described later, and the Y direction corresponds to a conveyance direction (horizontal direction) on a conveyance path of the medium M in the printing unit 30. The Z direction corresponds to the height direction, vertical direction, and vertical direction of the printing apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 4, the transport apparatus 1 includes: a conveying unit 20 that conveys the medium M; a heating unit 50 that heats the conveyor belt 22 of the conveyor section 20; and a pressing portion 60 that presses the medium M against the conveyor belt 22. Further, the conveying device 1 includes: a temperature detection unit 65 that detects the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 (see fig. 2) heated by the heating unit 50; and a control unit 90 for controlling the heating unit 50 based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit 65.

The printing apparatus 100 includes the transport apparatus 1, and as shown in fig. 1 and 4, includes: a unwinding section 10 that unwinds the medium M wound in the overlapped roll shape; a printing unit 30 as a recording unit that performs printing on the medium M conveyed by the conveying unit 20; and a winding unit 40 that winds the printed medium M. The printing apparatus 100 further includes a cleaning unit 70 that cleans the transport belt 22 (more precisely, the adhesive layer 25 shown in fig. 2).

The temperature detection unit 65 uses an infrared sensor in the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the temperature detection unit 65 is disposed downstream of the heating unit 50 and upstream of the pressing unit 60. The temperature detector 65 detects the temperature of at least a part of the support surface 22a of the conveyor belt 22 from the heating unit 50 to the pressing part 60 in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22, which will be described later. The temperature detection units 65 are provided in a pair at positions that are outside both ends in the width direction of the medium M and face the adhesive layer 25. In other words, the temperature detection unit 65 is provided at a position not interfering with the medium M. With this, when the medium M is placed on the support surface 22a, the temperature detection unit 65 is prevented from interfering with the medium M. In the present embodiment, the medium M is a cloth such as cotton, silk, wool, chemical fiber, or blended cloth.

As shown in fig. 1, the unwinding section 10 supports a roll R1, which is formed by winding the superimposed medium M, such that the axial direction of the roll R1 is the X direction (width direction) of the printing apparatus 100. The unwinding unit 10 unwinds the medium M toward the transport unit 20 by rotating the roll body R1 in one direction (counterclockwise in fig. 1) by a rotation driving unit (not shown). The operation of the rotation driving unit is controlled by the control unit 90.

As shown in fig. 1, the conveying unit 20 includes a conveying roller 21, a conveying belt 22, a rotating roller 23, a driving roller 24, and the like. The conveying roller 21 relays the medium M unwound from the unwinding portion 10 to the conveying belt 22.

The conveyor belt 22 is formed of a rubber member having no joint and wound around a rotary roller 23 and a drive roller 24, wherein the rotary roller 23 is disposed on the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the printing unit 30, and the drive roller 24 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the printing unit 30. The conveyor belt 22 is held in a state in which a predetermined tension is applied so that a region of a conveying path, which will be described later, between the rotating roller 23 and the driving roller 24 is horizontal.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 22 serves as a support surface 22a for supporting the medium M. An adhesive layer 25 is provided on the support surface 22a, and the adhesive layer 25 is coated with an adhesive to bond the medium M.

The transport belt 22 supports and transports the medium M that is pressed against the adhesive layer 25 by the pressing portion 60 described later and is supplied from the transport portion 20. The conveyor belt 22 is formed as a so-called adhesive tape (glue tape) in which an adhesive is applied to the support surface 22 a. With this, a stretchable cloth or the like can be treated as the printable medium M.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the rotating roller 23 and the driving roller 24 support the inner peripheral surface 22b of the conveyor belt 22. The drive roller 24 includes a motor, not shown, for driving the drive roller 24 to rotate. When the driving roller 24 is rotationally driven, the conveying belt 22 rotates along with the rotation, and the rotating roller 23 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the conveying belt 22.

The transport belt 22 is driven by the drive roller 24 to rotate counterclockwise in fig. 1, and transports the medium M supported on the support surface 22a in the transport direction of the + Y direction. The medium M is conveyed in the conveying direction by the conveyor belt 22, and an image is formed on the medium M by a printing unit 30 described later.

In the present embodiment, a path along which the conveyor belt 22 is looped in the counterclockwise direction is hereinafter referred to as a loop path. In addition, a path of the circulating path for conveying the medium M is referred to as a conveyance path, and a path that is a path other than the conveyance path and does not constitute the conveyance path for the medium M is referred to as a conveyance preparation path. Therefore, the transport path is a path from a position where the unwound medium M is pressed by the pressing portion 60 and supported by the transport belt 22 to a position where printing is completed and the medium M is peeled from the transport belt 22. The diagram shown in fig. 2 shows a state of the conveyor belt 22 moving in the conveyance path. The circulating path other than the conveyance path is a conveyance preparation path. In fig. 3, a state of the conveyor belt 22 moving in the conveyance preparation path is shown.

In the transport path, the medium M is supported on the side (+ Z side) facing the printing unit 30 by the support surface 22a of the circulating transport belt 22, and is transported from the rotating roller 23 side to the drive roller 24 side. In the transport preparation path, the support surface 22a of the circulating transport belt 22 faces a side (substantially-Z side) facing the cleaning unit 70 and the heating unit 50 described later, and the transport belt 22 including only the adhesive layer 25 moves from the drive roller 24 side to the rotating roller 23 side.

The winding unit 40 rotates the roll R2 in one direction (counterclockwise in fig. 1) by a rotation driving unit (not shown), and thereby peels the image-formed medium M from the adhesive layer 25 of the transport belt 22 and winds the medium M in a lap-wound shape. The winding unit 40 supports the roll R2, which is formed by winding the superposed medium M, such that the rotational axis of the roll R2 is parallel to the width direction (X direction). The operation of the rotation driving unit is controlled by the control unit 90.

The pressing portion 60 presses and closely contacts the medium M against the adhesive layer 25 formed on the conveyor belt 22. The pressing portion 60 is provided on the upstream side of the printing portion 30 and on the downstream side of the heating unit 50 in the moving direction (conveying direction) of the conveyor belt 22. The pressing unit 60 includes a pressing roller 61, a pressing roller driving unit 62, and a roller supporting unit 63. The moving direction of the conveyor belt 22 changes at each position of the peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 22, and the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22 in the vicinity of the printing portion 30 is the + Y direction. The moving direction of the transport belt 22 can also be expressed as a direction in which the transport belt 22 performs a circling movement when recording is performed on the medium M by the printing section 30.

The pressing roller 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is provided to be rotatable in a circumferential direction of a cylindrical surface of the pressing roller 61. The pressing roller 61 is arranged so as to rotate in a direction along the conveyance direction, and a roller shaft, not shown, is arranged so as to be parallel to a width direction intersecting the conveyance direction. The roller support portion 63 is provided on the inner circumferential surface 22b side of the conveyor belt 22 facing the pressing roller 61 across the conveyor belt 22.

The length of the pressing roller 61 in the width direction is set to be the same as the length of the conveyor belt 22 in the width direction. The length of the medium M in the width direction is smaller than the lengths of the pressing roller 61 and the conveyor belt 22 in the width direction. The length of the roller support 63 in the width direction is set to be approximately the same as the length of the pressing roller 61 in the width direction.

The pressing roller driving unit 62 presses the pressing roller 61 downward (-Z direction). The pressed pressing roller 61 rotates following the movement of the conveyor belt 22 in the conveying direction. The medium M overlapping the conveyor belt 22 is pressed between the pressing roller 61 and the roller support 63 so as to be pressed against the conveyor belt 22. By the operation of the pressing portion 60, the medium M can be bonded to the adhesive layer 25 formed on the support surface 22a of the conveyor belt 22, and the occurrence of floating of the medium M on the conveyor belt 22 can be suppressed.

The printing unit 30 is disposed vertically above (+ Z direction) the conveyor belt 22 that moves in the conveying direction (+ Y direction), and performs printing on the medium M supported on the support surface 22a (the adhesive layer 25) of the conveyor belt 22. The printing unit 30 includes an ejection head 31, a carriage 32, a carriage moving unit 33, and the like. The ejection head 31 ejects ink as droplets onto the medium M supported on the conveyor belt 22.

The discharge head 31 is provided with a nozzle plate 35 in which a plurality of nozzle rows 34 are formed. For example, four nozzle rows 34 are formed in the nozzle plate 35, and ink of different colors, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, can be ejected for each nozzle row 34. The nozzle plate 35 is opposed to the medium M conveyed by the conveyor belt 22.

The carriage moving unit 33 moves the discharge head 31 in the width direction (X direction) of the medium M, which is a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the medium M. The carriage 32 on which the ejection head 31 is mounted is supported by a guide rail, not shown, disposed along the X direction, and is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the X direction by a carriage moving unit 33. As a mechanism of the carriage moving section 33, for example, a mechanism in which a ball screw and a ball nut are combined, a linear guide mechanism, or the like can be used.

The carriage moving unit 33 is provided with a motor, not shown, as a power source for moving the carriage 32 in the X direction. When the motor is driven by the control of the control section 90, the discharge head 31 reciprocates in the X direction together with the carriage 32. The ejection head 31 of the present embodiment is mounted on the carriage 32, and uses a serial head that ejects ink while moving in the width direction (X direction) of the medium M. The ejection head 31 may be a line head in which nozzle rows are provided over the width direction (X direction) of the medium M and ink is ejected so that the carriage 32 does not move in the width direction (X direction).

In the printing unit 30, when the medium M conveyed first reaches below the predetermined nozzle row 34 of the ejection head 31, the conveyance by the conveyor belt 22 is stopped, and the carriage 32 moves in the + X direction (outward path), and printing by the ejection head 31 is performed. Subsequently, the conveyor belt 22 is moved by a predetermined amount in the conveying direction and stopped. Further, printing by the discharge head 31 is performed while the carriage 32 is moved in the-X direction (circuit). Subsequently, the conveyor belt 22 is moved by a predetermined amount in the conveying direction and stopped.

In this way, the printing apparatus 100 intermittently moves the conveyor belt 22, thereby intermittently moving the medium M in close contact with the conveyor belt 22 and printing. In the printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 90 performs printing by performing the intermittent movement of the medium M by the conveyance unit 20 and the ink discharge operation by the printing unit 30.

The transport belt 22 moves on the transport path, and after the printed medium M is peeled off from the transport belt 22 by the take-up section 40, it is folded back by the drive roller 24 and moves on the transport preparation path. In addition, when printing (printing) of a pattern or the like is performed on the medium M such as cloth in the transport path, ink that has passed through the medium M, ink that has oozed out from the end portions in the width direction of the medium M, fibers that have fallen off from the medium M, and the like adhere to the adhesive layer 25 of the transport belt 22.

The cleaning unit 70 removes ink, fibers, and the like adhering to the adhesive layer 25 by cleaning the conveyor belt 22 moving on the conveyance preparation path with a cleaning liquid. Specifically, the cleaning unit 70 is disposed below (in the (-Z direction) on the drive roller 24 side of the endless conveyor belt 22, and cleans the support surface 22a of the conveyor belt 22 including the adhesive layer 25 from below.

The cleaning unit 70 includes: a cleaning tank 71 that stores a cleaning liquid; a cleaning roller 72 which is immersed in the cleaning liquid and rotatably abuts against the conveyor belt 22; the moving mechanism 73 uses an unillustrated air cylinder that moves the cleaning unit 70 in the vertical direction. The cleaning unit 70 includes a motor, not shown, as a power source for driving the cleaning roller 72 to rotate.

The cleaning roller 72 is constituted by a rotating brush having a width equal to or slightly larger than the length in the width direction (X direction) of the conveyor belt 22 substantially orthogonal to the moving direction (Y direction) of the conveyor belt 22. The cleaning roller 72 has a cylindrical rotating shaft extending in the width direction, not shown, and both ends of the rotating shaft are rotatably supported by both walls having short sides of the cleaning tank 71.

The cleaning unit 70 configured as described above is moved upward by the moving mechanism 73, and is brought into contact with the support surface 22a of the conveyor belt 22 moving on the conveyance preparation path from below. The cleaning unit 70 also cleans the support surface 22a including the adhesive layer 25 by rotating a cleaning roller 72 containing a cleaning liquid.

As shown in fig. 4, the printing apparatus 100 includes an operation unit 80 that performs a setting operation and an input operation and instructs the control unit 90. The operation unit 80 is constituted by a touch panel type display unit or the like. The operation unit 80 may be provided separately from the printing apparatus 100.

The control unit 90 is control means for controlling the printing apparatus 100. As shown in fig. 4, an interface (I/F) unit 91 is used to transmit and receive data between the operation unit 80 and the control unit 90. The CPU92 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printing apparatus 100. The storage unit 93 secures a program storage area and a work area of the CPU 92. The CPU92 controls the respective units based on the control circuit 94.

In the present embodiment, the storage unit 93 stores a heating unit table 931 and a pressure-sensitive adhesive table 932, which will be described later. The detector group 66 monitors the state in the printing apparatus 100, and the control section 90 controls each component section based on the detection result. The temperature detector 65 also constitutes one of the detector groups 66.

The heating unit 50 will be explained.

The heating unit 50 of the present embodiment heats the adhesive layer 25 formed on the support surface 22a of the conveyor belt 22 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 65 ℃), thereby softening the adhesive layer and exhibiting adhesiveness, thereby improving the adhesion between the medium M and the adhesive layer 25. The heating unit 50 heats the support surface 22a including the adhesive layer 25 of the conveyor belt 22 before the medium M is supported on the support surface 22a, from a direction facing the support surface 22 a. Specifically, the heating unit 50 heats the support surface 22a including the adhesive layer 25 before the transport preparation path is folded back by the rotating roller 23 around the rotating roller 23 before reaching the pressing portion 60 on the transport preparation path.

The thickness of the adhesive layer 25 of the present embodiment is about several tens μm. The thickness of the conveyor belt 22 is about 2mm to 3 mm. Thus, the adhesive layer 25, that is, the conveying belt 22 is heated. In the present embodiment, the expression "heating the support surface 22 a" or "heating the conveyor belt 22" may be used below for the heating means 50 "heating the adhesive layer 25".

In other words, the heating unit 50 heats the conveyor belt 22 before the medium M is supported by the support surface 22a (on the conveyance preparation path) from the height direction (the direction facing the support surface 22a) intersecting the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22.

In the present embodiment, the endless conveyor belt 22 is used, but when a conveyor belt other than the endless conveyor belt is used as the conveyor device, the conveyor belt before the medium is supported by the support surface may be heated from above (in the height direction) intersecting the moving direction of the conveyor belt.

As shown in fig. 5, the heating unit 50 includes a radiation plate 51, a heating unit 52 attached to the radiation plate 51, a heating frame 53 that fixes the radiation plate 51 and the heating unit 52, and the like. In the present embodiment, the radiation plates 51 are provided so as to be separated by a distance L from the support surface 22a (adhesive layer 25) of the conveyor belt 22 to the opposing inner surface 51 a.

Therefore, the radiation plate 51 is in a state of being substantially parallel to the support surface 22a in the region before the rotating roller 23, with the distance L between the support surface 22a and the inner surface 51 a. In the region of the radiation plate 51 covering the rotating roller 23, the distance between the support surface 22a and the inner surface 51a is separated by the distance L so as to be concentric with the rotating roller 23.

The radiation plate 51 is configured to extend in the width direction of the conveyor belt 22. The length of the radiation plate 51 in the width direction is configured such that both ends are slightly longer than the length of the conveyor belt 22 in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the radiation plate 51 is formed by bending one side of an aluminum plate member.

The heating unit 52 is attached to the outer surface 51b of the radiation plate 51 so as to emit radiation heat from the radiation plate 51, and heats the radiation plate 51. Heating unit 52 of the present embodiment is constituted by six heating units 52. Specifically, the six heating units 52 are arranged in the order of a first heating unit 521, a second heating unit 522, a third heating unit 523, a fourth heating unit 524, a fifth heating unit 525, and a sixth heating unit 526 from the upstream side of the conveyance preparation path in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22.

Each heating section 52 is formed of a sheet-like heater having the same specification. The sheet heater is configured to sandwich a heating element such as a metal foil in a sheet member such as a flexible synthetic resin, and generates heat with a substantially uniform temperature distribution. Each heating section 52 is configured to extend along the width direction (X direction) of the conveyor belt 22. The length of the heating section 52 in the width direction is configured such that both end portions are slightly longer than the length of the conveyor belt 22 in the width direction.

The heating portions 52 configured as described above are provided by being bonded in the aforementioned order over substantially the entire outer surface 51b of the radiation plate 51. The heating frame 53 fixes the radiation plate 51 in a state where the inner surface 51a of the radiation plate 51 to which each heating portion 52 is bonded is exposed.

When power is supplied (energized) to the metal foil of the sheet heater, the metal foil generates heat, and the heat is transmitted to the radiation plate 51 via the sheet member. The radiation plate 51 is heated by heat transmitted from the heating unit 52. The radiation plate 51 having been heated emits radiation heat toward the conveyor belt 22 (support surface 22a) facing thereto. By this operation, the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 rises.

Here, a change in temperature of the conveyor belt when the adhesive layer is heated by the conventional heating means will be described with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 shows the heating time taken to raise the temperature of the adhesive layer to 65 ℃ and the subsequent heat radiation state after the temperature reaches 65 ℃ so that the length of the heating section on the conveyance preparation path is constant while the number of passes (pass) of printing is varied. In addition, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the adhesive layer.

Further, since the time for the conveyor belt to pass through the length (range) of the heating section on the conveyance preparation path is determined by the number of passes, the power to be supplied to the heating section is changed in accordance with the number of passes so that the temperature of the adhesive layer at the time point when the conveyor belt passes through the heating section becomes 65 ℃. In other words, the conventional heating unit is constituted by one heating portion. Further, since one heating unit is used, the moving distance of the heating unit of the conveyor belt becomes constant, and the temperature of the heating unit is adjusted by changing the power according to the number of passes.

Specifically, graph a is a graph in a high speed mode in which printing is performed in two passes (2pass), and the conveyor passes through the heating portion for 15 seconds. Therefore, the conveyor belt reached 65 ℃ by being heated by the heating section for 15 seconds. Graph B is a graph in the medium speed mode in which printing is performed with four passes (4 passes), and the conveyor belt passes through the heating portion for 30 seconds. Therefore, the conveyor belt was heated by the heating section for 30 seconds to reach 65 ℃. Graph C is a graph of printing at six strokes (6 passes) in the low speed mode, and the conveyor belt passes through the heating section for 45 seconds. Therefore, the conveyor belt reached 65 ℃ by being heated by the heating portion for 45 seconds.

As shown in fig. 6, in graph a of the high speed mode, the temperature of the adhesive layer immediately after the heating is completed is cooler than in graphs B and C. In contrast, in graph B of the medium speed mode and graph C of the low speed mode, the temperature of the adhesive layer after heating was slower than that in graph a.

In the printing apparatus 100, the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 at the pressing portion 60 is preferably 65 ℃ in the present embodiment, and the temperature at the printing portion 30 is preferably substantially atmospheric temperature.

The difference in heat dissipation is caused by the difference in the temperature rise of the conveyor belt. The reason for this is that the support surface side of the conveyor belt is heated up in the high-speed mode, and the temperature of the conveyor belt is raised up to the middle in the medium-speed mode and the low-speed mode. In other words, the reason for this is that, in the medium speed mode and the low speed mode, the amount of power to be supplied is low and the time for supplying power is long, that is, the time for the conveyor belt to pass through the heating portion is long, as compared with the high speed mode, and therefore the amount of heat accumulated in the conveyor belt increases.

Returning to fig. 5, in the present embodiment, the control section 90 performs control of adjusting the number of the heating sections 52 to be driven in accordance with the number of printing passes while keeping the amount of electric power to be supplied to the heating sections 52 constant. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the length of each heating unit 52 in the conveying direction is set to, for example, 100 mm. Therefore, according to the six heating portions 52, the length of the heating portion 52 is 600mm as a whole.

When printing is performed in two passes, the total number of heating units 52 (six) of the six heating units 52 is used. Therefore, the length of the heating part 52 for heating is 600 mm. In other words, the moving distance, which is the distance by which the conveyor belt 22 is heated in the heating section 52, is 600 mm. When printing is performed in four passes, three continuous heating units 52 out of the six heating units 52 are used. Therefore, the length of the heating part 52 for heating is 300 mm. In other words, the moving distance, which is the distance by which the conveyor belt 22 is heated in the heating section 52, is 300 mm. When printing is performed in six passes, two continuous heating units 52 out of the six heating units 52 are used. Therefore, the length of the heating part 52 for heating is 200 mm. In other words, the moving distance, which is the distance by which the conveyor belt 22 is heated in the heating section 52, is 200 mm.

In this way, in the present embodiment, when the printing speed at the time of printing is two-stroke, four-stroke, or six-stroke, the time (moving time) during which the conveyor belt 22 passes through the heating section 52 that generates heat is set to approximately 15 seconds. In addition, the printing speed corresponds to the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22.

The printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs printing while intermittently moving the medium M. Therefore, in detail, the moving speed is a value obtained by dividing the distance traveled by the conveyor belt 22 until the end of printing by the sum of the stop time (for example, about 2 seconds in the case of two passes) during which the movement of the conveyor belt 22 is stopped and the moving time (for example, about 0.2 seconds in the case of two passes) during which the movement of the conveyor belt 22 is stopped. The stop time is a time for performing recording on the medium M by the discharge head 31. Accordingly, the time required for recording on the medium M is longer as the number of strokes is larger, and therefore, the stop time is longer as the number of strokes is larger. Thereby, the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 during intermittent conveyance is changed in accordance with the change in the number of strokes. That is, when the serial head type employs intermittent conveyance, the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 can be expressed by the number of strokes.

In the present embodiment, the driven heating section 52 is switched according to the number of printing passes. Specifically, six heating units 52 are driven during the two-pass printing, namely, the first heating unit 521 to the sixth heating unit 526. The heating section 52 driven in the four-pass printing includes three sections, i.e., a fourth heating section 524 to a sixth heating section 526. The heating unit 52 driven in the six-pass printing includes two fifth heating unit 525 and a sixth heating unit 526. That is, the control unit 90 controls the heating unit 50 so that the number of the heating portions 52 to be driven decreases as the printing speed (the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22) decreases. This is also an example of the heating section table 931 described later, which shows the correspondence between the printing speed and the number and output of the heating sections 52 corresponding to the printing speed. In addition to the number of the heating units 52 to be driven, the control unit 90 may control the heating units 50 so that the output of the driven heating units 52 decreases as the printing speed (the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22) decreases. That is, the control unit 90 may control the heating unit 50 such that at least one of the output and the number of the heating units 52 to be driven decreases as the printing speed (the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22) decreases.

As described above, even when the printing speed at the time of printing differs in two passes, four passes, and six passes, the conveyor belt 22 is heated for the same time by changing the number of heating sections 52 that heat the conveyor belt 22. With this, when the printing speed is different, only the selected heating section 52 is heated, and the temperature of the region of the radiation plate 51 in contact with the selected heating section 52 increases. Further, radiant heat is emitted from the radiation plate 51 whose temperature has been raised to the adhesive layer 25 facing thereto.

In the present embodiment, the conveyor belt 22 is heated for approximately 15 seconds even when the number of strokes is different. Since the control unit 90 controls the number and output of the heating units 52 in accordance with the number of printing passes (moving speed), the amount of heat applied to the entire conveyor belt 22 including the adhesive layer 25 is constant even when the number of printing passes (moving speed) is different. Therefore, even when the number of printing passes (moving speed) is different, the cooling performance of the conveyor belt 22 after reaching 65 ℃ can be obtained close to that of the graph a shown in fig. 6.

Further, by making the cooling performance of the conveyor belt 22 after reaching 65 ℃ close to the graph a shown in fig. 6, even if the amount of heat accumulated in the conveyor belt 22 is relatively small, the amount of heat (temperature) when the portion of the conveyor belt 22 heated by the heating section 52 reaches the printing section 30 becomes small. Here, the higher the temperature of the portion of the conveyor belt 22 that has passed through the pressing portion 60 and has been heated by the heating portion 52, the more the temperature gradient in the + Y direction after reaching the printing portion 30 increases. This is because the periphery of the printing unit 30 is exposed to the atmosphere, and heat is released to the atmosphere every time the transport belt 22 moves in the + Y direction. In the present embodiment, the amount of heat (temperature) when the portion of the transport belt 22 heated by the heating section 52 reaches the printing section 30 is small, and therefore, the temperature gradient of the transport belt 22 (the support surface 22a) in the + Y direction is reduced. This can reduce the color difference in the + Y direction of the image recorded on the medium M due to the temperature gradient. Therefore, the quality of the image recorded on the medium M can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the control section 90 sequentially selects the heating section 52 closest to the pressing section 60 from among the six heating sections 52 in accordance with the number of printing passes (moving speed), and heats the support surface 22 a. As shown in fig. 5, the heating section 52 closest to the pressing section 60 is the sixth heating section 526, and the heating section 52 farthest therefrom is the first heating section 521. In this way, since the control section 90 sequentially selects heating sections 52 to be heated from the heating section 52 closest to the pressing section 60, the distance from the selected heating section 52 to the pressing section 60 can be shortened, and the heating loss increased according to the distance can be reduced. In other words, by reducing the heating loss, the temperature of the adhesive layer 25 at the pressing portion 60 can be brought close to the target 65 ℃.

In the present embodiment, the temperature of each heating unit 52 is set to, for example, 200 ℃. Therefore, the temperature of the radiation plate 51 is also approximately 200 ℃. Further, the control section 90 adjusts the electric power to the heating section 52 based on the printing speed and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting section 65, thereby adjusting the temperature of the heating section 52. Therefore, control unit 90 controls heating unit 52 using so-called PID control (proportional/integral/derivative control) so that the detected temperature becomes the target temperature. In any case, control unit 90 controls heating units 52 (first heating unit 521 to sixth heating unit 526) so that the electric power supplied thereto is the same.

The control section 90 adjusts the temperature of the heating unit 50 by adjusting the selection of the heating section 52 to be driven as an input to the heating unit 50 (heating section 52) and the power applied to the selected heating section 52 among the plurality of heating sections 52, based on the moving speed and the detection result at the temperature detecting section 65. In addition, the amount of power may be controlled by adjusting the time of energization in a state where the power is kept constant. That is, the energization time may be PWM (pulse width modulation) controlled.

As shown in fig. 4, the printing apparatus 100 is provided with the storage unit 93 and the operation unit 80 for performing setting operation and the like. In addition, the storage unit 93 stores an adhesive table 932 in which the type of adhesive and a target temperature corresponding to the type of adhesive are associated with each other. Therefore, the user selects, for example, the type of the binder to be used by using the operation unit 80, and causes the control unit 90 to read a target temperature corresponding to the binder from the binder table 932, and to drive the heating unit 52 so as to attain the target temperature.

Further, the storage unit 93 stores a heating section table 931 associating the printing speed with the number of driving of the heating sections 52 corresponding to the printing speed. Therefore, the user selects, for example, a print mode (high speed mode, medium speed mode, low speed mode) by using the operation unit 80, and causes the control unit 90 to read the number of driving of the heating portions 52 corresponding to the print mode from the heating portion table 931, and select the heated heating portions 52 to drive the heating portions 52. The heating section table 931 may also correlate the printing speed with the output of the heating section 52 corresponding to the printing speed. That is, the heating section table 931 may also make the printing speed correspond to at least one of the number and output of the heating sections 52 corresponding to the printing speed.

2. Modification example 1

In the present embodiment, the heating unit 50 includes six heating portions 52. However, if the temperature detection unit 65 that detects the temperature of the heated adhesive layer 25 is provided, the heating unit 52 may be one. The control section 90 may also control the heating unit 50 based on the detection result at the temperature detection section 65.

3. Modification 2

In the present embodiment, the heating unit 50 includes six heating portions 52. However, the number of heating units 52 is not limited to six.

4. Modification 3

In the present embodiment, the heating unit 50 includes six heating portions 52. However, the heating unit may be configured to include one sheet-like heater, that is, a plurality of independent heating elements such as metal foils sandwiched between sheet members.

5. Modification example 4

In the present embodiment, the heating portions 52 of the heating unit 50 are configured to have the same specifications. However, the heating section is not limited to this, and may be configured to change the length in the direction along the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22.

6. Modification example 5

In the present embodiment, a sheet-like heater is used as the heating portion 52 of the heating unit 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be adopted in which a heater tube in which a heating element is housed in a quartz tube is used as a heating portion, and a plurality of heater tubes are arranged in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22. That is, the conveyor belt 22 may be heated without passing through the radiation plate 51. For example, the conveyor belt 22 may be heated by at least one blowing unit (fan) that sends out heated air.

7. Modification example 6

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to the case where 65 ℃ is used as the target temperature for raising the temperature of the binder, the present invention is not limited to this, and the target temperature may be changed depending on the type of the binder used.

8. Modification example 7

In the present embodiment, as the moving speed of the intermittent conveyance, an average speed obtained by dividing the distance moved by the conveyance belt 22 until the end of printing by the sum of the stop time and the moving time is used, but the moving speed is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a line head type, intermittent conveyance may not be employed. In such a case, the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 may be expressed by, for example, the peripheral speed of the drive roller 24, instead of the number of strokes.

9. Modification example 8

In the present embodiment, the correspondence relationship between the printing speed (the number of strokes) and the number of drives of the heating section 52 corresponding to the printing speed is stored in the storage section 93 as the heating section table 931, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the case of the line head, since the peripheral speed of the driving roller 24 can be set to the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22, the correspondence relationship between the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 and the number of driving of the heating unit 52 corresponding to the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 may be stored in the storage unit 93 as the heating unit table 931.

10. Modification 9

Although the amount of electric power supplied to each heating unit 52 (first heating unit 521 to sixth heating unit 526) is controlled to be the same in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. The electric power to be supplied to each heating portion 52 may be different from each other.

According to the above embodiment and modification, the following effects can be obtained.

The conveying device 1 of the present embodiment includes the conveyor belt 22, the heating unit 50, the pressing portion 60, the temperature detecting portion 65, and the control portion 90. The conveyor belt 22 has a support surface 22a for supporting the medium M while being bonded, and conveys the bonded medium M. The heating unit 50 heats the conveyor belt 22 before the medium M is supported on the support surface 22 a. The pressing portion 60 is provided on the downstream side of the heating unit 50 in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22, and presses the medium M onto the supporting surface 22 a. The temperature detecting unit 65 detects the temperature of the support surface 22a from the heating unit 50 to the pressing unit 60 in the moving direction. The control unit 90 controls the heating unit 50 based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit 65.

According to the above configuration, since the heating unit 50 can be controlled in accordance with the temperature from the heating unit 50 to the supporting surface 22a of the pressing part 60, which contributes to the close contact between the medium M and the conveyor belt 22, the close contact between the medium M and the conveyor belt 22 can be stabilized as compared with the case where the above configuration is not provided. Therefore, the conveying device 1 that stabilizes the adhesion of the medium M to the conveyor belt 22 can be realized.

The conveying device 1 of the present embodiment includes rollers (a driving roller 24 and a rotating roller 23) around which the conveying belt 22 is wound. The heating unit 50 includes a plurality of heating portions 52 arranged in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22. The control unit 90 selects the heating unit 52 to which electricity is applied among the plurality of heating units 52, based on the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 determined by the number of printing passes and the detection result of the temperature of the adhesive layer 25.

The amount of heat stored in the conveyor belt 22 heated by the heating unit 50 generally varies depending on the heating time.

According to the above configuration, when the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is slow (in the case of the low-speed mode), the number of the heating portions 52 to which electricity is supplied among the plurality of heating portions 52 is reduced as compared with when the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is fast (in the case of the high-speed mode). Therefore, the heat storage amount in the case where the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is slow can be made substantially equal to the heat storage amount in the case where the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is fast.

Further, the thermal energy transferred from the conveyor belt 22 to the rollers (the drive roller 24 and the rotating roller 23) when the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is slow can be made substantially equal to the thermal energy transferred from the conveyor belt 22 to the rollers when the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 is fast, and the degree of thermal expansion of the rollers can be made substantially equal at each speed. Therefore, the degree of thermal expansion of the rollers is made uniform at the respective speeds, and the conveying accuracy due to the thermal expansion of the rollers is also made uniform. Therefore, the accuracy of conveying the medium M can be improved.

In the conveying device 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 90 sequentially selects heating units 52, which are closest to the pressing unit 60, from among the plurality of heating units 52, according to the moving speed, and heats the support surface 22 a. According to the above configuration, since heating section 52 closest to pressing section 60 among the plurality of heating sections 52 is selected to heat supporting surface 22a, the distance from the selected heating section 52 to pressing section 60 becomes shorter as compared with the case where heating section 52 farthest from pressing section 60 is selected, and the heating loss that increases depending on the distance can be reduced.

In the transport apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 90 adjusts the input to the heating unit 50 and adjusts the temperature of the heating unit 50 based on the moving speed and the detection result.

According to the above configuration, the control unit 90 adjusts the temperature of the heating unit 50 by adjusting the input to the heating unit 50 (selecting the heating unit 52 to be heated and changing the output of the selected heating unit 52) based on the moving speed and the detection result, thereby further appropriately adjusting the temperature of the adhesive in the vicinity of the pressing portion 60, and further stabilizing the adhesion of the medium M to the conveyor belt 22.

The printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes the conveyor belt 22, the printing section 30 as a recording section, the heating unit 50, the pressing section 60, the temperature detecting section 65, and the control section 90. The conveyor belt 22 has a support surface 22a for supporting the medium M while being bonded, and conveys the bonded medium M. The printing unit 30 performs recording on the medium M being transported. The heating unit 50 heats the conveyor belt 22 before the medium M is supported on the support surface 22 a. The pressing portion 60 is provided on the downstream side of the heating unit 50 in the moving direction of the conveyor belt 22, and presses the medium M onto the supporting surface 22 a. The temperature detecting unit 65 detects the temperature of the support surface 22a from the heating unit 50 to the pressing unit 60 in the moving direction. The control unit 90 controls the heating unit 50 based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit 65.

According to the above configuration, the heating unit 50 is controlled in accordance with the temperature from the heating unit 50 to the supporting surface 22a of the pressing part 60, which contributes to the adhesion between the medium M and the conveyor belt 22. Therefore, as compared with the case where the above-described structure is not provided, the adhesion of the medium M to the conveyor belt 22 can be stabilized. Therefore, printing can be reliably performed, and the printing apparatus 100 with improved image quality can be realized.

In the printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the heating unit 50 includes a plurality of heating portions 52 arranged in the moving direction. Further, the control unit 90 selects the heating unit 52 to be energized from among the plurality of heating units 52, based on the moving speed of the conveyor belt 22 and the detection result.

According to the above configuration, the cooling performance of the conveyor belt 22 after reaching 65 ℃ is brought close to the graph a shown in fig. 6, that is, the amount of heat accumulated in the conveyor belt 22 is made relatively small, so that the amount of heat (temperature) when the portion of the conveyor belt 22 heated by the heating section 52 reaches the printing section 30 becomes small. Here, the higher the temperature of the portion of the conveyor belt 22 that has passed through the pressing portion 60 and has been heated by the heating portion 52, the more the temperature gradient in the + Y direction after reaching the printing portion 30 increases. This is because the periphery of the printing unit 30 is exposed to the atmosphere, and heat is released to the atmosphere every time the transport belt 22 moves in the + Y direction. In the present embodiment, the amount of heat (temperature) when the portion of the transport belt 22 heated by the heating section 52 reaches the printing section 30 is small, and therefore, the temperature gradient of the transport belt 22 (the support surface 22a) in the + Y direction is reduced. This can reduce the color difference in the + Y direction of the image recorded on the medium M due to the temperature gradient. Therefore, the quality of the image recorded on the medium M can be improved.

Description of the symbols

1 … conveying device; 10 … unwinding part; 20 … conveying part; 22 … conveyor belt; 22a … bearing surface; 23 … rotating rollers; 24 … driving the roller; 25 … an adhesive layer; 30 … as a printing portion of the recording portion; 50 … heating element; 52 … heating section; 60 … pressing portions; 65 … temperature detection part; 90 … control section; 100 … as a printing device of a recording device; m … medium.

Claims

1. A conveyor device is characterized by comprising:

a conveyor belt that has a support surface for supporting a medium by bonding the medium and that conveys the bonded medium;

a heating unit that heats the conveyor belt before the medium is supported by the support surface;

a pressing portion that is provided on a downstream side of the heating unit in a moving direction of the conveyor belt and presses the medium onto the supporting surface;

a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of at least a part of the support surface from the heating unit to the pressing unit in the moving direction;

and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on a detection result of the temperature detection unit.

2. The delivery device of claim 1,

a roller for winding the conveyor belt,

the heating unit includes a plurality of heating portions arranged in the moving direction,

the control unit selects the heating unit to which the electricity is applied among the plurality of heating units, based on the moving speed of the conveyor belt and the detection result.

3. The delivery device of claim 2,

the control unit sequentially selects the heating units closest to the pressing unit from among the plurality of heating units according to the moving speed, and heats the support surface.

4. The delivery device of claim 2 or claim 3,

the control unit adjusts an input to the heating unit and adjusts a temperature of the heating unit based on the moving speed and the detection result.

5. A recording apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a recording unit that performs recording on the medium being conveyed;

6. The recording apparatus of claim 5, wherein,